No NSV for me...

stevepax

I'm down 50 pounds. I've been exercising like crazy, 5 to 6 days per week for the past several months. I'm in the best shape I've been in for many years.

My complaint? Last year at about this time, I had a cholesterol test and it came back 300. Yes, that's high. So, after making some serious changes, I went to a doctor for a physical. My blood pressure is great, my triglycerides are within normal range, resting heart rate is lowest it has been for a long time.

Cholesterol? IT WENT DOWN BY ONLY 9 POINTS. Yep, it came back 291. What the heck? I wanted to see some real improvement there. I hate the thought of medication for that. My cholesterol numbers are a huge part of why I decided it was time to stop eating so much junk and start exercising and losing weight, etc. But it hasn't helped.

Just complaining here, I know.

Pearsquared

There a plenty of factors for cholesterol, but I think this is one of the "genetics suck" kind of things. Anybody else in your family struggle with cholesterol?

mklassy123

I hear you on this one. I've had high cholesterol since I was 19 and I was a stick then.

Did the doc tell you your total cholesterol or did he break it down for you between good and bad cholesterol and the ratio between the two? That makes a huge difference.

You can also try Krill oil. I was taking it for awhile but unfortunately had to stop due to a sensitivity to the stuff (I have the same reaction to shrimp).

You say you've been exercising, are you doing weightlifting? That's supposed to help raise good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol.

Good luck with this. I'm in the same boat and I hate it!

stevepax

I have the complete test results, so I know the HDL/LDL levels as well. Truth is, for the first time ever, my HDL is actually higher than 40, so it's in the "good" zone. But, the LDL is way too high. That's the bad one.

I just started weight lifting last week, 3x per week. The other 3x per week are cardio, and I take one day off (Sunday).

Doctor said let's give it 6 more months and see what happens, but warned me that most people in my situation end up needing medication to get their cholesterol down to goal.

The thing I hate is that those cholesterol medications are usually ones that people take forever. That's something I'm not looking forward to. I currently take no medications at all, and any time I have had to take some, it's always been temporary, like antibiotics from when my eardrum burst, stuff like that. I hate the thought of having medication that I'm going to take every day for years and years.

BobcatGirl110

Unfortunately genetics sometimes overrides diet and exercise. There comes a point, regardless of age, a good diet, and exercise you may need to add meds to control genetic HBP & cholesterol. It might just need to be done.